Anatomical visualization system

Abstract

A real-time computer-based viewing system comprising a database of pre-existing software objects, wherein at least one of said software objects corresponds to a physical structure which is to be viewed by said system; a real-time sensor for acquiring data about said physical structure when said physical structure is located within that sensor's data acquisition field, wherein said sensor is capable of being moved about relative to said physical structure; generating means for generating an additional software object corresponding to said physical structure using data acquired by said sensor; registration means for positioning said additional software object in registration with said pre-existing software objects contained in said database; processing means for generating an image from said pre-existing software objects and said additional software object contained in said database, based upon a specified point of view; wherein said generating means create an additional software object corresponding to a disk, and said generating means are adapted to texture map the data acquired by said sensor onto said disk, and wherein said generating means comprise means for varying the relative density of the data which is texture mapped onto said disk, whereby the portion of the image generated by said processing means which is attributable to data acquired by said real-time sensor can be faded relative to the remainder of the image generated by said processing means.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A real-time computer-based viewing system comprising: 
       a database of pre-existing software objects, wherein at least one of said software objects corresponds to a physical structure which is to be viewed by said system;  
       a real-time sensor for acquiring data about said physical structure when said physical structure is located within that sensor's data acquisition field, wherein said sensor is capable of being moved about relative to said physical structure;  
       generating means for generating an additional software object corresponding to said physical structure using data acquired by said sensor;  
       registration means for positioning said additional software object in registration with said pre-existing software objects contained in said database;  
       processing means for generating an image from said pre-existing software objects and said additional software object contained in said database, based upon a specified point of view;  
       wherein said generating means create an additional software object corresponding to a disk, and said generating means are adapted to texture map the data acquired by said sensor onto said disk, and wherein said generating means comprise means for varying the relative density of the data which is texture mapped onto said disk, whereby the portion of the image generated by said processing means which is attributable to data acquired by said real-time sensor can be faded relative to the remainder of the image generated by said processing means.